Maker of Lightweight Backpacking Gear and Apparel using the latest in fabrics such as Cuben Fiber, Momentum55, and Silnylon

Glossary

Calendering is a finishing process used on cloth where fabric is folded in half and passed under rollers at high temperatures and pressures. Calendering is used on fabrics such as moire to produce its watered effect and also on cambric and some types of sateens.

In preparation for calendering, the fabric is folded lengthwise with the front side, or face, inside, and stitched together along the edges. The fabric can be folded together at full width, however this is not done as often as it is more difficult.

The fabric is then run through rollers that polish the surface and make the fabric smoother and more lustrous. High temperatures and pressure are used as well.
Fabrics that go through the calendering process feel thin, glossy and papery.

The calendering finish is easily destroyed, and does not last well. Washing in water destroys it, as does wear with time.

Cuben Fiber is a product marketed and developed by the Cuben Fiber and Cubic Tech Corporations as a high-performance non-woven fabric for applications such as yacht sails, airship hulls, kites and many designs that require extremely strong rip resistance and light areal weight.

Cuben Fiber is a laminated fabric constructed from plasma-treated Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber monofilaments and polyester, PVF etc. films. Cuben fiber is sometimes confused with carbon fiber, one of the many fibers used as a reinforcement in some Cuben Fiber laminates. Cubic Tech Corporation's ultra-high performance flexible laminates were re-branded from Cuben Fiber to CTF3 (TM) in 2009. Cubic Tech Corp produces CTF3 with a wide variety of fibers such as Vectran, Carbon, Zylon (PBO), Kevlar etc.

Dyneema and Spectra are gel spun through a spinneret to form oriented-strand synthetic fibers of UHMWPE, which have yield strengths as high as 2.4 GPa (350,000 psi) and specific gravity as low as 0.97 (for Dyneema SK75).[4] High-strength steels have comparable yield strengths, and low-carbon steels have yield strengths much lower (around 0.5 GPa). Since steel has a specific gravity of roughly 7.8, this gives strength-to-weight ratios for these materials in a range from 10 to 100 times higher than steel. Strength-to-weight ratios for Dyneema are about 40% higher than for aramid.
UHMWPE fibers are used in armor, in particular, personal armor and on occasion as vehicle armor, cut-resistant gloves, bow strings, climbing equipment, fishing line, spear lines for spearguns, high-performance sails, suspension lines on sport parachutes and paragliders, rigging in yachting, kites, and kites lines for kites sports. Spectra is also used as a high-end wakeboard line.
For personal armor, the fibers are, in general, aligned and bonded into sheets, which are then layered at various angles to give the resulting composite material strength in all directions.[5][6] Recently developed additions to the US Military's Interceptor body armor, designed to offer arm and leg protection, are said to utilize a form of Spectra or Dyneema fabric.[7] Dyneema provides puncture resistance to protective clothing in the sport of fencing.
Spun UHMWPE fibers excel as fishing line, as they have less stretch, are more abrasion-resistant, and are thinner than traditional monofilament line.
High-performance lines (such as backstays) for sailing and parasailing are made of UHMWPE, due to their low stretch, high strength, and low weight.
Dyneema was used for the 30-kilometre space tether in the ESA/Russian Young Engineers' Satellite 2 of September, 2007.

eVent Fabrics get their unique properties from a proprietary and patented waterproof membrane, Its unique composition allows millions of tiny pores to breathe at their full potential. Sweat vents directly to the outside of the fabric in one easy step. We call this Direct Venting™ Technology. Its genius is hidden in its simplicity. eVent Fabrics simply let the sweat out™.

Ripstop fabrics are woven fabrics often made out of nylon, using a special reinforcing technique that makes them resistant to tearing and ripping. During weaving (thick) reinforcement threads are interwoven at regular intervals in a crosshatch pattern. The intervals are typically 5 to 8 millimeters (0.2 to 0.3 in). Thin and lightweight ripstop fabrics have a 3-dimensional structure due to the thicker threads being interwoven in thinner cloth. Older lightweight ripstop-fabrics display the thicker interlocking thread patterns in the material quite prominently, but more modern weaving techniques make the ripstop threads less obvious. A similar effect can be achieved by weaving two or three fine yarns together at intervals.

Silnylon, a portmanteau of "silicone" and "nylon", is a synthetic fabric used mainly in lightweight outdoor gear. It is made by impregnating a thin woven nylon fabric with liquid silicone from both sides.[1] This makes it strong for its weight, as the silicone substantially improves the tear strength. It is also highly waterproof, but not breathable.[2] Many colours are available.
It is used in the manufacture of backpacks, tarps and tarp tents, ditty bags, etc, particularly by ultralight backpackers.

Silnylon comes in several main types. The common type is a quiet, silky, very slippery fabric. The variant known as "crisp silnylon" is lighter, but brittle, noisy, and tears easily. Some versions are made from the stronger type 66 nylon and are used for parachutes, hot air balloons etc. Some use a blend of silicone and urethane which is done partly to reduce the air pollution during manufacture as it reduces the aromatic solvents used in the coating process.